Gary Johnson Claims Wal-Mart doesn't use Child, Slave or Sweatshop Labor

Earlier this week, I participated in a Conference Call with Governor Gary Johnson, where he was again trying to garner attention as a fiscal, pro jobs, conservative. As always, Governor Johnson offered so much of his time, that each individual was able to ask one question. My question was:

"How do you feel about government subsidies to big corporations like Wal-Mart, who already receive tax cuts through things like the Bush tax cuts that were passed in 2003 and repassed here last year?"

Though not in direct response to my question, he had this to say to the next questioner:

"I'm in the camp that really believes that Walmart has saved rural America, because they've made it affordable to live in places that without Walmart, would be so much more expensive."

This obviously infuriated me. As you may remember, I wrote a piece a while back on the evils of Wal-Mart, and after spending all summer supporting this guy, it felt like a sucker punch to the gut.

So, last night, when he held his first online "hangout" I took the advantage of watching live and trying to see if I could maybe get him to reverse what I thought, were errors in his judgements. I asked him in this little Hangout, through a text box beside the live feed:

"In a conference call earlier this week, you sung the praises of Wal-Mart how do you feel about their use of child labor, slave labor and sweat shop labor to make prices cheaper?"

He responded with the belief that Wal-Mart doesn't take advantage of any of those forms of labors, and went right on singing the praises of this corrupt multi - national corporation, that his colleague, Mitt Romney, would have us believe, is a person!

So I have decided to provide a few links to prove my side of the argument:



"..however, the majority of its goods are made outside the U.S. and often in sweatshops."

- http://www.pbs.org/itvs/storewars/stores3.html



"Most female workers are denied their legal maternity leave and their benefits."

- http://www.laborrights.org/creating-a-sweatfree-world/wal-mart-campaign



"Workers at a Bangladesh factory were made to work up to 19-hour shifts and paid as little as $20 a month, says a SweatFree Communities report"

-http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2008/db2008109_219930.htm



"Wal-Mart has been fined about $200,000 for violating 1,436 child labor laws by the Maine Department of Labor, when it was discovered that Wal-Mart employed under-aged children and making them work at least ten days in a row."

- http://library.thinkquest.org/trio/TTQ02189/wal_mart.htm

"There are hundreds of American manufacturing plants which have shut down, and shipped production overseas, either partially or entirely due to Wal-Mart."

- http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2003/3044wal-mart.html

I think that is sufficient reading to get anyone, including the Governor, started. I want it to be understood that this is not, yet, a war against the Governor, but a war against Wal-Mart, and against the corrupt government who subsidizes Wal-Mart's endless march toward fortune and power. Should the Governor get elected to that government without changing his policies, then he will be counted as an enemy, in my eyes. I will continue to try to address and discuss the issue with Governor Johnson in future conference calls and "Hangouts," so please stay posted.

His next "Hangout" is on the 20th. You can follow him on Facebook for more information.

"Those that dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the day to find that all was vanity, but the dreamers of the day, are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams and make them real."